Putting Students To Work

School Coordinator Gets Businesses Into Education

HAMPTON — Even with the busy 11- and 12-hour days that Linda Shifflette spends at the office, she always finds herself thinking about children.

A school administrator, a mentor and a mother, Shifflette says all her responsibilities bring her back to one philosophy:

``Whenever I make decisions, I try to think in context of what I would want for my own children.''

Sometimes, doing what's best means legwork.

As the coordinator of applied academics and business and education partnerships for Hampton City Schools, Shifflette puts community groups and businesses in touch with individual schools and finds new ways of exposing students to the working world.

When Linda Shifflette taught business education at Pembroke High School back in 1975, part of her job involved knocking on doors and asking businesses if they'd be interested in hiring her students as secretaries.

More than 20 years later, Shifflette's responsibilities have expanded a bit, but similar ties remain.

She's the one who helps bring Kiwanis Club tutors to Tyler Elementary and encourages the Hampton Holiday Inn to provide hospitality management training to Phoebus High School students.

With nearly 200 partnerships between Hampton public schools and civic and business organizations, this is a program that has grown rapidly since its infancy in the early '80s when Shifflette used to make door-to-door business solicitations.

``I plant the seed and then stand back,'' she said. ``I get the schools and businesses together.''

While some businesses provide personnel, training or expertise, others provide schools with equipment and merchandise. It all depends on the needs of the school and the the types of services that each individual business or organization can provide.

Shifflette, herself, is a member of Kiwanis by the Bay, a civic group that offers students mentors and tutors through a partnership with Phillips Elementary.

As a mentor, Shifflette chats with fifth-grader Crystal Pigg over breakfast at school on Friday mornings. Crystal says she looks forward to seeing her.

``She's a nice wonderful person, very kind,'' Crystal said. ``We talked about things that were going on, like how was my family doing and stuff like that. And, when I'm having trouble with school work and people.''

Even in her personal life, children remain Shifflette's focus.

With one child finishing her last year at the University of Virginia and the second starting his first year at James Madison University, Shifflette says she finally has time to reflect on her years as a parent.

``How well did I do as a mother?'' she asks, wistfully. ``It's funny. You look forward to the freedom, but when it hits you, there's a bit of loneliness too.''

She adds, ``I suspect with my children being gone, I'll have a little more time for Crystal.''

LINDA SHIFFLETTE

OCCUPATION: Hampton City Schools coordinator of applied academics and business and education partnerships.

EDUCATION: bachelor's degree in secondary education from Old Dominion University, master's and doctorate degrees in school administration from Virginia Tech.